Expectations
by hasapi
Summary: [WIP] Expectations are funny things. Harry Potter was expected to go out with Ginny Weasley, not break up with her to go out with Cho Chang. Ginny Weasley was supposed to retreat crying to her room, not try to make him jealous by dating Blaise Zabini...
1. Tears of Pain

**_Expectations_**

**Author's Notes:** Hello! I've always wanted to write a Blaise/Ginny fic. Okay, so maybe not _always_… After all, I've been a Draco/Ginny person for most of the time, and when I had to pair Hermione with Draco, then Ginny got to go with Neville… It might seem a strange choice, but I think it makes sense to me, at least in canon.

But whoever said that Blaise couldn't be paired with Ginny? Seriously. I mean, I've seen fics where he might have been a choice…but he was never a really _serious choice. In my opinion, a Blaise/Ginny pairing is a lot more likely than a Draco/Ginny pairing since we all have seen what Draco is like; we don't know what Blaise is like. _

So, I'll stop my ramble. Hehe. I'll probably post my whole pre-story pairing justification ramble on one of my sites…

**Full Summary: **Expectations are funny things. When we expect something to be one way, it's rather interesting when it isn't. Harry Potter was expected to go out with Ginny Weasley, not break up with her to go out with Cho Chang. Ginny Weasley was supposed to retreat crying to her room, not try to make him jealous...by going out with Blaise Zabini. They were supposed to hate each other, not... Wait. What was that?****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling nor am I attempting to make any monetary profit off of it. You know the drill. 

**********

_Chapter 1_

Ginny flew down the hall, angrily swiping tears away from her eyes. She should _not_ be crying! She should be strong, like her mother! Or at least be able to laugh about it, like her brothers… _But how had it happened?_ she wondered. _How had it fallen apart? They had been in love…or at least that was what she had thought. She supposed she must be wrong, since __he was obviously in love with Cho Chang, while she…_

She had no one. 

Ginny stifled a particularly large sob in her cloak, thanking whatever Gods and Goddesses were listening that it was Sunday morning and most of the students had yet to wake. She ran outside towards the lake, her pace slowing with every step until she collapsed halfway there, curling into a fetal ball and crying her eyes out.

_"Ginny?" he asked, poking his head into the room and  giving her a small, tentative smile. _

_She smiled back at him readily, looking up from her book on the bed,  her heart swelling. Oh, how she loved him! And he loved her; they'd been going out now for…oh, what had it been? Almost three months, actually… Ever since September 1st, when he'd sat with her at the Gryffindor table instead of with his friends. At least, that was how she counted it. He probably didn't count it until the Hogsmeade trip in late September. "Yes?"_

_"I need to talk to you," he said._

_Ah. The six most nerve-wracking words in the English language. _I need to talk to you. _It usually was not good news. Usually, next you found out your parents had died, or your brother was injured, or you had been expelled from school, or…_

_No, she wouldn't think of that._

_He was _not_ breaking up with her. Why would he? They loved each other. They had dated for three months now. He was an integral part in her life. _

_Ginny got off the bed and slowly followed him down the stairs, her heart beating quickly. When they reached the Common Room, he stopped, looking around. She supposed he was checking for other students, but why would he do that? She shrugged inwardly to herself. It was probably nothing._

_"Ginny…" he trailed off, seemingly uncertain as to what to say. _

_She smiled reassuringly. "What is it Harry? What's happened?"_

_He let out a deep whoosh of breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Gin, I can't do this anymore."_

_Her eyes filled with confusion, she asked carefully, "Do what anymore?"_

_"Ginny, I don't love you," he said flatly. _

_Her mouth dropped open and tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over any second. "Wha…What…What are you talking about?" she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears._

_"Ginny, how do I put this any other way?" he asked, exasperated. "I don't love you."_

_"Why not?"___

_"Because I don't!" he exploded._

_"But there has to be some other reason!" she said, her voice becoming high-pitched and her face reddening._

_"You want another reason?" he asked angrily. "Here's another reason: I love someone else. There. There's your reason."_

_The tears were ready to spill over; there was no holding them back now. Ginny turned, and ran._

She closed her eyes in horrified acceptance. It had happened. Memories that precise were not fabrications of her imagination, nor products of a dream. It felt too real, too geared in…reality, she supposed, to have been false. It was true. It was horribly true.

She, Ginny Weasley, was in love with Harry Potter.

And he had just broken up with her, breaking her heart in the process.

***

Ginny walked back towards Gryffindor Tower slowly, watching for students. Maybe she could avoid them…

"Well," a cold voice sneered, "if it isn't the little Weasley; what's the matter, has Potter broken up with you?" The crowd that always seemed to follow him around snickered appreciatively.

She felt her spine tense while at the same time her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't even respond, and walked determinedly past where Draco Malfoy was standing.

"Ooh, have I struck a nerve?" He seemed to be genuinely shocked, but Ginny knew better.

"Honestly," a voice came from the opposite hallway. "Draco, I thought you were better than that," Blaise Zabini said, a smirk on his face. "Where did you learn to insult?" he asked, a brow raised. "Finishing school?"

Malfoy glared at Zabini, his face flushing marginally. Ginny watched with a mixture of shock and glee; finally, Malfoy was getting what he deserved—and it was from a fellow Slytherin no less. She looked at Zabini and was further intrigued when he signaled for her to go away. That snapped her out of her trance, and she walked away while Zabini and Malfoy continued to duel…with words, of course, although she wouldn't be surprised if they got to wands eventually.

Ginny shook her head, walking quickly towards Gryffindor Tower, her tears forgotten. After all, she'd just been handed a mystery to solve, and nothing could detract from the joy and fun of that. 

"Ginny!" Ron called out happily as she neared the Fat Lady's portrait.

She looked up, jerked out of her thoughts, and slowed down. "Hi, Ron," she said quietly, still distracted.

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking in her flushed cheeks and red eyes.

"Yes, of course," she said, squaring her shoulders. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Ron raised a brow. "Because it's all over the Tower—and as soon as everyone gets up, the school—that Harry broke up with you."

Ginny lowered her eyes, saddened again. 

"Oh, Gin! I'm sorry," Ron stuttered, "I didn't mean to bring it up, I mean…"

"Ron," Ginny interrupted him, "don't worry about it." She walked past him, quietly giving the password to the Fat Lady and heading to her dorm without so much as glancing at the occupants of the common room, although she could tell there were a lot of them.

Luckily, the dorm was empty—actually rather surprising at this hour, but she didn't think much of it. They'd probably all been waiting in the common room to see her… And that meant they would probably be trooping up to confront her pretty soon. She sighed, fighting back tears, and crawled onto her bed, closing the curtains so that there would be no doubt she wanted to be left alone. 

Then again, that was probably telling in itself. She, Ginny Weasley, never closed her curtains. She was relatively sure that after the Chamber of Secrets incident she had become claustrophobic. She _never closed her draperies, and the one time someone had, she had woken up screaming. _

Not that she hadn't anyways, especially during her first year. But she had always stopped as soon as she had realized what was happening—or rather, that nothing was happening. When she had woken up to a pitch black space, it was like being transported right back into her dream… No one had dared to touch her bed after that.

Ginny curled into a ball and let the tears leak down her cheeks again, her mind spinning.

_Harry Potter doesn't love me._

_Why would he? You're an overgrown redhead, that's why not._

She squeezed her eyes shut as more of them came. It was true…Oh, it was true. She was 175 centimeters… most of her roommates were only 150 or so.She was a giant compared to them, and she'd learned that most guys liked smaller girls…

Ginny sniffed.

Girls like Cho.

Girls like Hermione.

Girls like Parvati.

Girls _not_ like _her. Ginny Weasley._

She, along with everyone else, had been amazed when she had shot up over the summer before her fifth year. Some of the boys seemed to not rely on the rule that shorter girls were better, as she had noticed the appreciative glances she had gotten from them. 

But, oh! What was she going to do? She _loved Harry, and he had broken up with her for another girl. __Why? What was wrong with her? Was it her hair? That could be dyed. Was it her height? She could slouch? Was it the fact that no one else seemed interested in her?_

…She could go out with someone else.

Ginny bolted up, her eyes dancing. Of _course—he would realize that he was wrong, that he loved her, if he saw her with someone else! Then he would want to try and win her back!_

She frowned. But who? Definitely no one in Gryffindor… She really didn't feel like she could do that to one of them. Not a Hufflepuff. The Ravenclaws were always buried in their books, and besides, she didn't know any of them.

But that only left the Slytherins. 

Ginny sighed, deciding to run through the list of fifth and sixth year Slytherins. After all, she knew they weren't _all evil…_

_Ginny looked around anxiously. Where was she? She had left the Potions classroom only five minutes earlier; surely she hadn't traveled that far… _

_She attempted to calm the rushing panic that threatened to surround her. It would do her no good to get worked up about it, that was for sure._

_"What's a Gryffindor doing all the way down here?" a voice drawled, its owner coming into the light of the torch on the wall. _

_"I-I got l-lost," she muttered, avoiding his eyes._

_"What's your name?" he asked coldly._

_Ginny looked up at him, her eyes betraying her curiosity. "Ginny Weasley." With a bit of bravery in her voice, she asked, "What's yours?"_

_"Blaise Zabini," he said, adding, "Not that it's any of your business, of course."_

_"You're not like the others," she blurted out, immediately berating herself for it. But it was true—any other Slytherin would have cursed first and asked questions later… And if they'd known she was a Gryffindor—and a Weasley at that—they wouldn't have cared either way._

_His eyes darkened. "No, I suppose I'm not. We're not all scheming Death Eaters, you know."_

_Ginny flushed. "N-no, of course not, I just meant…"_

_He shook his head. "I know what you meant, and I don't blame you." He seemed sad. "The majority of Slytherin _is_ rather evil, no matter what I have to say about it."_

_"Um…" Ginny trailed off uncertainly. "I need to get to lunch…"_

_He sighed. "I'll show you the way."_

Ginny smiled. Of course. Blaise Zabini would be perfect. He was a Slytherin, first of all, so it would attract Harry's attention all the more quickly. Second, if she wasn't mistaken… He was related to Draco Malfoy. And then there was the undeniable fact that Harry hated Draco… And probably anything related to him. 

She grinned suddenly. This could work. 

No… It _would_ work. She would make sure of it.

***************

**FYI:** 175 centimeters equals about 5 feet 9 inches, and 150 cm is a little less than 5 feet. 

**If you would like me to e-mail you when new chapters come up, please tell me and leave your e-mail address _or_ sign in.**


	2. Smiles of Joy

**********  
_Chapter 2_

  
  


Ginny splashed some water on her face in the fifth year girls' bathroom, wondering if she'd make it down to the Great Hall in time for lunch. Maybe she could catch Zabini there…

  
  


She smiled suddenly. Zabini was different, that was for sure. That time in the dungeons had proved that to her. And they'd run into each other after that of course…

  
  


But they hadn't really talked. He'd just nodded at her noncommittally, as he was often in the company of other Slytherins. Once he'd said 'hello,' but she hadn't been able to say it back as she was really too shocked to do anything, let alone speak. It wasn't every day a Slytherin spoke to you, a Gryffindor, after all—even if she'd already spoken to him once before. It was still rather strange and difficult to comprehend. 

  
  


Ginny smiled. Zabini was rather nice… At least compared to the other Slytherins. Yes, that would make it easy. Er, well, easi_er_. But…getting him to agree…she wasn't too sure. Besides, he wasn't indebted to her in any way… In fact, she was indebted to him, for the getting-lost incident, at least, when he had shown her the way back to the Great Hall. That had been quite nice of him, in fact. 

  
  


But she wasn't sure how far his nice-ness extended, at least to her. 

  
  


(She had noticed at one point that Crookshanks was getting a little overweight…at least more than he already was. And anyways, she'd also noticed the two getting cozy when she'd been the one chosen to raid the kitchens… Okay, so that had consisted of Blaise scratching Crookshanks' ears, but whatever.)

  
  


So the question was, how desperate was she? How much was she willing to risk, just to get back at Harry Potter? How much could one _boy_ make her do? She had changed herself for him, she had dressed up for him, she had been ready to give her virginity to him! And he was still making her do things, however much he didn't notice. 

  
  


Ginny sighed. There was a lot Harry didn't notice. She could only hope that this time would be different, that he would notice the fact that she _was_ already moving on. Not that she was moving on, but that he _thought_ she was moving on.

  
  


…No, wait. She wouldn't hope. She would be sure of it. She would make sure that there was no way that he could ignore her relationship with Zabini. Or at least that her brother wouldn't (not that the prat really ever ignored anything), and if her brother knew, then, by the Gods, the whole school would know. Within ten minutes, in fact!

  
  


Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if the entire _world_ knew about it. 

  
  


Ginny grinned. Well. She might as well get to it. Time was of the essence, and there was no sense in waiting anyways. 

  
  


***

  
  


Ginny eyed the Slytherin table, trying to be inconspicuous. 

  
  


She wasn't exactly succeeding. 

  
  


After all, accidentally putting your elbow in the butter because you were too busy paying attention to a certain Slytherin to pay attention to your elbow wasn't exactly inconspicuous, now was it?

  
  


Not in her mind at least.

  
  


But at least no one else was noticing where her eyes kept straying… At least none of the Gryffindors did. Draco Malfoy seemed to be paying her _way_ to much attention, an evil glint in his eye that did not sit all that well with Ginny. 

  
  


She brushed it off, concentrating again on her target: Blaise Zabini, Master of Disguise. 

  
  


Well, perhaps 'disguise' wasn't the correct term… He wasn't really _disguised_, he just knew how to blend in with the crowd. It had no doubt helped him immensely as a Slytherin, although quite a few of them made her doubt that, Draco Malfoy in particular. She didn't think the prat could blend in if he wanted to…not that she really thought he'd ever wanted to. Malfoy just didn't seem to be that kind of person.

  
  


Zabini, however… Well, to be completely frank, she hadn't even known he'd existed until that day in the dungeons. He was definitely not an exhibitionist. 

  
  


Ginny wondered if that would be detrimental to her plans.

  
  


She shook her head decidedly. It didn't matter. She just needed to do this now, before she lost the nerve. 

  
  


And just at that moment, Blaise Zabini stood up. No one really noticed, as he did so quietly, and he hadn't been speaking with anyone anyway. His black hair fell slightly in front of his face as he watched where he was putting his feet, stepping out from behind the bench and walking towards the doors. 

  
  


Ginny smiled. What perfect timing, she thought as she stood up and followed him out of the room, never noticing the pair of narrowed brown eyes that followed her.

  
  


***

  
  


Blaise Zabini walked slowly towards the Slytherin dungeons, his hands in his pockets. The littlest Weasley had been watching him at dinner, and to be completely honest, it was rather unnerving. Her stare was direct, and it had barely wavered. 

  
  


"Zabini!" a feminine voice shouted from behind. He spun around sharply, obviously catching her by surprise, as she stumbled to a stop right in front of him. "Zabini," she said more softly, breathing heavily. 

  
  


He raised a brow at the girl. It was Ginny Weasley. She was looking very… flushed. Her dark red hair, tied with a black ribbon at the nape of her neck, was slowly coming loose, and a few tendrils had already escaped to frame her face. Despite her lack of new clothes, she looked…well, stunning. How Potter had failed to notice her until this year was beyond him. 

  
  


"I need to talk to you," she said, glancing around.

  
  


Blaise crossed his arms, looking her in the eye. Honestly, when had he last been able to do that with a girl? Most of them were barely five feet tall. It was nice to give his neck a rest for once. "Alright," he said, glancing around. It probably wasn't a good place to talk. The walls were known to have ears, not to mention the fact that anyone would love to be privy to _this_ particular conversation. "Let's go somewhere else."

  
  


She nodded, seeming to understand, and she walked ahead of him, eventually leading them outside. At his raised eyebrow, she explained, "This way we'll really be able to tell if anyone's around. We'll go over to the lake. Classes don't start for another forty-five minutes, so we should be fine." By this time, they had reached the lake. She sat down beside it, motioning for him to do the same.

  
  


And then she began to explain her plan.

  
  


***

  
  


Blaise stared at Ginny, shocked. "Are you sane?" he asked when she had finished. 

  
  


She glared at him. "Yes."

  
  


"I'm not so sure of that," he said, a small smirk curving his lip. 

  
  


She sniffed delicately. "Well, that's your prerogative, of course. But will you do it?" she persisted, poking her finger into his chest.

  
  


Blaise allowed the shadow of a smile to cross his face before leaning toward her, noticing happily that her eyes widened and she lost a bit of her forwardness. "Ginny," he said quietly, "I still don't quite see why you chose _me_. I'm a Slytherin. Aren't we all evil Death Eaters?" he asked coldly, raising a brow.

  
  


She seemed to look panicked before calming. "You said yourself that not all of you were Death Eaters." She squared her shoulders, seeming to be preparing for something. "Let me see your arm."

  
  


Blaise held out his left arm and pulled up the sleeve, revealing a bare forearm. He watched calmly as her face relaxed.

  
  


She breathed a sigh of relief, a smile flitting across her face. "See? I knew I was right."

  
  


"And what if you hadn't been?" he asked. "What would you have done then?"

  
  


"I-I don't know," she said quietly, looking slightly ashamed. 

  
  


"You never answered my question," he said, letting the subject drop and his sleeve fall to his wrist again, folding his arms.

  
  


"Which one?" She looked confused.

  
  


"Why me?"

  
  


"We-ell…" she trailed off. "You were… nice to me for one. For another, you're related to Draco Malfoy, and that will catch Harry's attention more than anything."

  
  


"Then why aren't you proposing this to Draco?" he asked, his brows raised.

  
  


"Because he's a bastard," Ginny said maliciously, her mocha-brown eyes glittering with anger.

  
  


"Hey, that's my cousin you're talking about there," Blaise said warningly, his own eyes darkening.

  
  


Ginny raised a brow. "Like you wouldn't call him the same thing?"

  
  


Blaise grinned suddenly. "Maybe."

  
  


"So?" Ginny asked anxiously. "Will you do it?"

  
  


He looked at her for a minute, seeming to size her up. "Alright," he said quietly.

  
  


Ginny grinned at him and held out her hand, standing up. "Thanks, Zabini. Shake on it?" she asked.

  
  


Blaise looked at her hand for a few seconds before standing and taking it in his own. But instead of shaking it, he brought it up to his lips, brushing a light kiss over it, his dark eyes twinkling in the early afternoon light. "Call me Blaise," he said. 

  
  


And with that he left, leaving her staring after him, his black robes sweeping after him almost as dramatically as Snape's. Ginny's eyes were wide. 

  
  


How was it that that one, _small_ kiss had sent shivers down her spine and the blood rushing to her face? 

  
  


***************

  
  


**Author's Note:** Okay, I am deathly afraid of becoming clichéd. So if you see it happening, tell me, alright? 

Oh, and thanks for all the reviews! I really didn't expect so many. *grin*

  
  


**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything associated with Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling nor am I attempting to make any monetary profit off of it. You know the drill. 

  
  


***

  
  


**_Response to reviews:_**

**Kerbi:** *grin* Glad you like it so much. I can't really make Harry evil 'cause I don't see him that way. He's an okay guy, lol. And I've always seen Hermione as being taller than Ginny, but I decided to mix it up a little this time. I mean, Ginny has a lot of brothers, right? And I imagine that they'll all be rather tall. So why not? Why shouldn't she be tall? *shrugs* Besides, now I can have her look Blaise in the eye. *grin*

**Karlie Malfoy Dracos lil sis:** Thanks! 

**Scarlett:** You're on the updates list. Yup, as much as I like working with Hermione, Ron, and Harry, it's even more fun to work with Ginny and other characters that J.K. Rowling doesn't focus on as much because you can make them into almost anything you want, provided you have sound reasoning. It makes for a lot of fun. 

**Me:** Hehe, I've never seen a Blaise/Ginny fic either. That's why I decided to write one. I mean, why not? And you're on the updates list. :D

**mya14:** Glad it flows well and that you like the flashbacks. Haven't decided whether there will be anymore or not. *frowns* There wasn't a link? Huh. That's strange. I always include a link, at least so far as I know. Weird. Well, you'll be getting updates for this story, and they will include a link. :)

**Mooniala Trials:** You like my writing style? Well I'm glad to hear it! That's always a good thing. *grin*

**sparklingmoon585:** Lol, yeah. But is there really anything bad about a tall guy? *wink* Anyways, glad to know Ginny's not alone. I myself am on the other end of the spectrum, being barely five foot two. *sigh* Oh well. Oh! You're on the e-mail list.

**steph:** Yeah, B/G fics are definitely hard to find. I've never read one myself. I don't even remember where I got the idea. I just know that I've had it for a while and I finally got around to writing it.

**PhoenixRae:** Hey girl! Glad you like the fic. Harry won't be too evil, don't worry. I think that he just made a few mistakes that he wasn't able to rectify quickly. That'll be explained more later.

**harrypotter4ever:** More detail? Hmm. You're probably right. I've been known to have problems with that, especially lately. I should probably go back and do that to this chapter right now, now that I think about it…

**Liebling:** Nope. Can't have Harry taking the hero part all the time. *grin* Glad you like it. 

**Faxton:** A very rare pairing indeed! I've never read a B/G fic before actually, and don't even remember where I came up with this idea. *shrugs* But whatever. 

**Samantha:** You're on the e-mail list. Glad you like it, and I'll definitely try to keep this up. 

**Aurora Noctifer:** A chaptered one, eh? I've never even read one. I usually write Draco/Hermione and Draco/Ginny, although I've been known to throw a few Harry/Pansy ones around. *grin* I love unusual pairings. Of course, in the world of HP fan fiction… Well, D/H and D/G aren't that strange I guess. But Harry/Pansy sure is, lol.

  
  


***

  
  


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	3. Under the Sunlight

**********  
_Chapter 3_

  
  


"I know what you're doing," Hermione said the next, standing in the doorway of Ginny's dorm room with her arms crossed over her chest and frowning. 

  
  


"Of course you do," Ginny responded automatically. A second later, what Hermione had said processed through her mind and she froze where she was, lying on her back on her bed, her feet at the headboard while holding _Witch Weekly_ above her head. Damn Fred and George, she thought angrily. Those two had hounded her with that line for so long… 

  
  


Hermione raised her brows, walking forward and stopping in front of Ginny bed, looking down at her friend.

  
  


Ginny blinked. Hermione's face looked rather interesting upside-down… You could tell that she had a freckle just above her lip on the right side. Well, the left side if she had been right-side up. 

  
  


"Ginny, are you listening to me?" Hermione asked, frowning again.

  
  


"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly, lowering her magazine till it rested on her stomach. "You were saying?"

  
  


"Where did you lose me?" Hermione sighed. 

  
  


"Right after you told me you knew what I was up to," Ginny said smartly.

  
  


Hermione grumbled under her breath and walked around the bed. She sat down next to Ginny, looking at her hands. "Ginny, I don't think you should be messing with Slytherins."

  
  


"Who said I was messing with Slytherins?" Ginny asked, her mocha eyes widening innocently.

  
  


"Ginny…" Hermione said, frowning again. "I'm trying to be serious here. I don't know why you think you've gotten over Harry this quickly, but in any case, you shouldn't be hanging around with Slytherins!" She said the last bit desperately, looking pleadingly at her friend.

  
  


"Since when was I hanging around Slytherins?" Ginny demanded, sitting up abruptly and looking Hermione in the eye. 

  
  


"I saw you watching one of them yesterday at lunch. And then _he_ left, and you followed directly after!" Hermione said, her face worried.

  
  


"Hermione," Ginny said wryly, "it's hardly a crime to leave the same time someone else does."

  
  


"He's a Slytherin, Ginny," Hermione said pleadingly. 

  
  


"I know that! Not all Slytherins are Death Eaters, you know!" Ginny snapped, falling back to a reclining position and pulling her magazine back up to read more about some Ministry official's secret affair with a barmaid. 

  
  


"Ginny!" Hermione pulled the magazine out of the red-head's hands.

  
  


"Hey!" she interrupted, "I was reading that!"

  
  


"Ginny, please listen to me!"

  
  


"I'm listening to you, 'Mione," Ginny said acidly, glaring at the Gryffindor prefect.

  
  


"I just don't want you to get hurt," Hermione whispered, looking down at Gilderoy Lockhart's face on the cover of _Witch Weekly_. "Is that such a horrible thing?"

  
  


"It is when it didn't stop Harry from hurting me," Ginny bit back, yanking the magazine out of Hermione's hands. "And _he_'s your best friend," she finished, pointedly ignoring Hermione by concentrating on her magazine.

  
  


Ginny didn't look up when she heard Hermione rush out of the room, nor when she heard a few of her roommates enter with hushed voices. She was used to their whispering behind her back now. At one point, they had wanted to be her—now Harry had broken up with her, they just wanted to talk about her. 

  
  


She sighed, sitting up and putting the magazine on her bedside table, not making eye contact with any of the other girls in the room. Hurriedly tying the laces to her shoes, she barely remembered to grab her cloak before racing out of the room. There weren't very many people in the common room, for which she was very grateful as it meant less people witnessing her exit. 

  
  


She just wanted to go outside. She wanted to get outside and feel the breeze in her hair. Being outdoors just made her feel so much freer than being cooped up inside. She did well in her studies, but during classes she often found herself drifting off, staring out the window and wishing for someone to come and take her away. 

  
  


It was probably why she had always wanted to be Harry's girlfriend. In her mind, his saving her from the Chamber of Secrets in her first year was nearly the same as rescuing her from the dreariness of the indoors. 

  
  


Finally, she was there. Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cool, fresh air permeate her senses. Looking up at the sky and smiling, she felt peace for the first time that day. 

  
  


"Ginny!" a voice called from behind her.

  
  


Ginny turned around and smiled at the blonde-haired girl running up to her. "Luna!" she said, hugging her friend and grinning. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a few days! We don't have as many classes together as we used to."

  
  


Luna smiled absently, her red, pink and white heart earrings looking rather out-of-place in the middle of November. "I'm doing well," Luna said, "though have you heard about the Chintins? Apparently it's very close to becoming extinct; my father's seeing what he can do about it. One of our top writers is going to interview those who have been helping with its survival."

  
  


"Really?" Ginny asked, trying to keep her tone amazed. She loved Luna, she really did, but sometimes it was hard to keep a straight face when she was talking about Chintins. She looped her arm with Luna's, and the two began walking towards the lake, discussing the newest edition of _The Quibbler_. 

  
  


Halfway to the lake, they had fallen silent, and Ginny was debating whether to tell her friend about Harry's betrayal of her, and her plan to get him back.

  
  


"Luna?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

  
  


"Hmm," the girl replied absently, watching as a flock of birds dipped and soared high above the lake. 

  
  


"Did you hear about me and Harry?" 

  
  


Luna looked at her friend, her eyes focusing on Ginny's face for the first time in nearly a year. "Yes."

  
  


Ginny was rather surprised that Luna's normally absent nature had taken such a quick turn. "Well, I…" she trailed off. How was she supposed to say this? "I want him back, Luna," Ginny whispered, tears coming to her eyes. She tried to blink them back, but before she knew it they were pouring down her face in torrents, no matter how much she tried to stop them. Luna's arms came around her, and Ginny sobbed onto what was probably her _best_ friend's shoulder with abandon.

  
  


"Shh," Luna whispered, patting Ginny's back. The Ravenclaw was a good four inches shorter than Ginny, so it probably looked strange to any passersby. Ginny had thought she was past sobbing with such feeling, but it appeared she wasn't. 

  
  


After a few minute, Ginny let go of her best friend and smiled tremulously. "I'm sorry about that, Luna," she whispered. "I just… I really want him back, and I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it yet."

  
  


Luna nodded, her eyes still focused on Ginny's face. "I understand," she said, smiling. Abruptly, the unfocused look came back, and Luna was again the girl Ginny knew, with gaudy earrings and a love of creatures whose existence was still unproven. Ginny smiled, wiping the few remaining tears from her face. The best thing about Luna Lovegood was that she was there when you needed her, and not just in the physical sense. 

  
  


***

  
  


Ginny walked back to the castle slowly, watching the grass in front of her as she walked. It was the middle of November, and there still hadn't been snow. But it would no doubt happen soon, and then it would certainly get cold. 

  
  


She sighed, looking out at the grounds. Not very many people were outside, probably because of the weather. A few lower-year Slytherins, a couple of seventh-year Gryffindors, a large amount of Hufflepuffs… And a very large group of Ravenclaws, all gathered around Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe. 

  
  


Ginny narrowed her eyes and stopped walking, turning slightly to the left to face the group. She wasn't certain she wanted to confront Cho, but the sight of the older girl who had cost her Harry… She took a shaky step forward before stopping again. 

  
  


She could do this. Couldn't she? Why not? 

  
  


But what would she say? She didn't want to go up there hoping to humiliate Cho and end up doing the same to herself… What _would_ she say? "You made my boyfriend break up with me, prepare to die?" Oh, Cho would die alright—from laughing. 

  
  


The longer she stood there, watching Cho with all of her friends, all of them laughing together and having fun… The worse she felt.

  
  


Cho had something she didn't. Ginny had no idea what it was called, but Cho could make friends. People liked her; they were almost _drawn_ to her it seemed. 

  
  


Ever since the Chamber of Secrets incident, it had been difficult for Ginny to make friends. It wasn't the way other people saw her, precisely; after all, no one besides her family and Harry and Hermione knew that she had been the one Tom was working through. It was the fact that after the Chamber, she'd had a hard time trusting people, and hadn't made friends because of it. 

  
  


Now it was too late. Everyone had their own little clique, and she wasn't in any of them. Oh, she had Luna, of course, and she would never regret that. She and Luna were almost two of a kind, both outcasts from their classmates because of things they couldn't change about themselves. 

  
  


Ginny sighed. She couldn't do this. She was getting depressed, and that certainly wasn't a good thing. 

  
  


A hand clapped itself on her left shoulder and Ginny froze. "Something wrong, Ginny?" a deep, male voice asked.

  
  


Ginny turned around, smiling slightly. "Blaise," she nodded at him. "No," she said, answering his question.

  
  


He raised a black brow. "You've been standing there watching Chang and her friends for at least five minutes. Something has to be wrong."

  
  


Ginny shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Nothing's wrong," she reiterated. 

  
  


Blaise looked uncertain, but left the matter alone. "Alright then." He nodded towards the castle. "Want to walk with me to the castle? I thought we could talk about this plan of yours some more."

  
  


Ginny nodded, and they began walking side by side across the lawn. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked hesitantly, glancing over at him.

  
  


"I suppose it was just what we're going to do now," he said, rolling his shoulders slightly. The action caused Ginny to remember that he had joined the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser this year. "You never mentioned just how this plan was going to be put into action."

  
  


Ginny blushed. "I guess I didn't think that far."

  
  


"Then I suppose it's lucky I did?" he asked rhetorically. "Anyway, this walk of ours probably won't go unnoticed, so I suppose it's the first step, right?"

  
  


Ginny nodded, waiting for him to continue.

  
  


"Well, next weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, so I suppose officially I'm here to ask you to go with me." Blaise turned his head towards her, his black eyes looking straight into hers. His eyes were nothing like Harry's. Although they both seemed to have hidden depths, Blaise's seemed...sadder, almost. 

  
  


"And I suppose I should say yes then?" Ginny asked, raising a brow.

  
  


"Of course," Blaise said, the edge of his mouth turning up slightly in amusement.

  
  


"Then yes, of course I will," Ginny replied, a small smile on her face. 

  
  


Blaise reached over, placing his hand on the small of her back in what was no doubt a proprietary action. "I also thought we might study in the library some," he continued, "as that will probably attract Granger's attention, considering how much time she spends there."

  
  


Ginny nodded distractedly. "Right."

  
  


"Has she said anything to you?" Blaise asked.

  
  


"Why do you ask?" Ginny replied nervously.

  
  


Blaise raised a brow. "Answering a question with a question, are we?"

  
  


Ginny scowled at him slightly. "Yes, she did. So?"

  
  


"I was just wondering," Blaise said, dropping his hand from her back to hold up both of his in mock surrender. 

  
  


Ginny grinned, and suddenly laughed. She was actually having fun.

  
  


And to the rest of the students watching them, that fact was blatantly obvious. 

  
  


***************

  
  


**Author's Note:** You don't think any of this is moving to fast, do you? Give me your opinions! Please!

**Disclaimer:** If I ever tell you I own this, please hit me over the head with a frying pan and ask me to gather my sanity.

  
  


***

**For the _Response to Reviews_, please go to (don't forget to remove the spaces):** h t t p : / / responsetoreviews.queenofboredom.net / expectations.html and click on Chapter Two. 

**Thanks to (in alphabetical order):** Arella Hallo, Dark Comet, Echo of Silent Cries, Faxton, harrypotter4ever, headncloud, JeanB, Kerbi, Kristen36, Lia, Liebling, Meredith, mya14, Nibinlotwen 'Lotwen' Smind, Niamh6, Nikki, phoenixdreams, Priestess Morgane, Red Magic Marker, Samantha, selene-chan, and Steph for reviewing!

***

  
  


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	4. Just An Act, Right?

_Chapter 4_

Ginny crumpled the sheet of parchment, making a face. It was the fourth time she had attempted—and failed—to write her Transfiguration paper on Animagi. Every time she attempted to write, she would get about half-way down the page before she became sidetracked and a large spot of ink formed in the center of the parchment. The worst part was that it was always about the same thing—or rather, the same person: Blaise Zabini. Who would have thought the unknown Slytherin would have had such a hold on her mind? She hadn't even known who he was until earlier that year!

Then there was the fact that she was supposed to be in love with Harry. She had been for six years; why should anything change now that Blaise was in the picture? And Hermione was against it! She had actually taken the initiative to corner Ginny in her room, confronting her and forcing her to answer. Well, she supposed Hermione hadn't forced her—after all, she always had a choice. She just couldn't say no to Hermione, probably because the girl always had the best of intentions.

So now she was sitting in the middle of the library, trying to work on her Transfiguration paper, and ending up staring at nothing and contemplating just what she was getting herself into.

She was in love with Harry. Blaise was simply a means to an end, and he was playing his part wonderfully. It wasn't as though Blaise didn't know she was using him. And he was planning everything, which was great, because planning was something she had completely forgotten to do. She tended to jump into things without thinking about them—which was what she had done with this. But it was too late to change her mind about this.

Blaise was planning to stop by later, when he had finished eating dinner, and study with her. She knew that their walk earlier in the day had not gone unnoticed, and she had purposely sat with some first and second years at the dinner table so that Ron, Hermione, and Harry wouldn't be able to talk with her—if they even bothered, of course. She wasn't certain they had heard yet, though, and Hermione certainly hadn't said anything else. Then again, Hermione might be waiting to see where Blaise would go to make sure they weren't planning an illicit rendezvous in a closet or something.

"Deep in thought, I see," Blaise said, setting his books on the table with a loud "clunk." She jumped, looking up at him as he sat down and then at her paper—which now had a large ink stain on it. She sighed. "Why the long face?"

"I'm trying to work on my Transfiguration paper and I keep getting distracted."

"By what?" he asked, setting his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his interlaced fingers. His black hair was neatly combed, a part on the right side—his left. She felt a sudden longing for Harry's unkempt locks, and suppressed her sigh.

"This," she said, motioning between them. "This plan. I think it's working. Did I tell you that Hermione confronted me about it in my room this morning?" Blaise shook his head. "She said something about how I shouldn't be 'getting involved' with Slytherins. She said you might hurt me."

Blaise's eyes narrowed. "Did she?"

"Yes!" Ginny answered, incensed. "She just barged right in and questioned what my business was with you."

A corner of Blaise's mouth turned up into half a smile and he reached out, putting his hand over Ginny's. She almost questioned why, but she saw movement out of the corner of her eye—Harry. "Ginny," Blaise said, his voice soft, but not quite a whisper. She was relatively certain that Harry could hear them. "I really like you. Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

She smiled at him, trying to imagine he was Harry, knowing that a more genuine smile would come out if she were imagining that. "Of course."

Blaise grinned then, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall, then, all right?"

She felt herself blushing, not quite knowing why. This was Blaise! It was Harry she loved, Harry who should be making her blush. But Harry was over there, walking towards her as she nodded at Blaise, who picked up his books and left, smiling. She stared after him, questioning why she was staring at all. Harry was walking towards her, frowning. She was of half a mind to get up and walk after Blaise and figure out why he made her blush with a kiss to the cheek—and her heart race and a pleasant feeling tingling her belly.

But she stayed, because it occurred to her that this was why she was playing this game with Blaise, and if she didn't stay she wouldn't find out if it was working or not.

"Hi, Ginny," Harry said, standing next to her and shifting from one foot to the other.

"Hi, Harry. Did you need something?" she asked, pulling a fresh sheet of parchment out of her bag and poising her quill above the page. She tried to look up at him with the air of someone who could be doing something else besides deigning to speak to him.

"Er, can I sit down?"

"Of course," she said, sighing loudly and laying her quill beside her parchment. She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, unconsciously copying the pose Blaise had adopted just minutes earlier. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak. Had it worked? Did he believe that she liked Blaise, and that Blaise liked her?

Harry sat down in the seat Blaise had just vacated. He paused a few seconds before saying, "How are you, Ginny?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"Why can't friends talk to one another every now and then?" Harry asked.

"I don't remember us ever being friends, Harry," Ginny said, letting her hands fall into her lap and straightening her back. "I was your best friend's little sister for five years and your girlfriend for two months, but I don't remember ever being your friend."

"Ginny, what do you think you're doing, hanging out with Zabini?" Harry demanded, his eyes narrowing. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "He's a Slytherin, Ginny. And he's Malfoy's cousin. You know what Malfoy's done to us. Zabini's uncle was responsible for the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Do you think I don't know that? I'm not stupid, Harry! Blaise is nothing like Malfoy, nor Lucius. Blaise is my friend, unlike you, and he happened to ask me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I said yes. So maybe you should mind your own business!" She glared at him. How dare he? "You know, Hermione said nearly the same things you did. At least she had the tact not to bring the Chamber. But still, both of you are prejudiced beyond belief. Just because Blaise is a Slytherin and his mother is a Malfoy does not mean that Blaise is the son of Hades. I would think that you, of all people, Harry, would know not to judge people by their labels."

And with that, she gathered all her things into her bag, ignoring Harry's protests, and left the library.

It hadn't been an act. Her response had been entirely genuine. Blaise was a friend, whatever else he might be, and he wasn't evil. He had no Dark Mark on his arm. Granted, she had forgotten that it was Lucius Malfoy who was responsible for the Chamber, but it didn't make any difference. So what if Blaise was related to him? She was certain everyone had some evil villain in their family tree. It didn't change who that person was. Blaise seemed a genuinely nice person, if nothing else.

It wasn't until she had reached the door that she realized there were still two hours till curfew and she now had no place to study. She sighed, opening the door to the library and deciding to just head back to Gryffindor. If nothing else, perhaps she could get to bed early.

* * *

Blaise saw Ginny come out of the library, her brow knit in thought. He smiled and fell into step beside her. "How did it go?" 

Ginny glanced over at him. "Oh, hello. It went… Well, I suppose it depends on what it was supposed to go like. His response was like Hermione's—'what are you doing?' and 'He's a Slytherin.' I can't believe this is Harry and Hermione we're talking about. I thought… Well, now that I think about it, I don't know what I thought. I really shouldn't be surprised, though, should I?" She looked slightly confused now. "I chose you because they would disapprove. Didn't I?"

"From what I remember," Blaise said, thinking back to when she had followed him from the Great Hall, "You chose me because I was related to Draco, and I was a Slytherin. That, you said, would get Potter's attention. Which it obviously has. So yes, I believe you did succeed in what you set out to do."

Ginny sighed. "I really shouldn't be shocked at their reactions then. I can't believe I responded the way I did to Harry. I nearly ran out of there, I was so upset. I can't believe I'm so upset about the way they're reacting about this while if they were reacting well about it, well—"

Blaise noticed Potter was behind them. He cursed inwardly, hoping Potter hadn't overheard too much, and reached over to take Ginny's hand, effectively stopping her from speaking as her eyes widened. He grabbed her bag from her other hand and smiled at her. "Don't worry about Potter, Ginny. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

She smiled sweetly at him, squeezing his hand. "You're right, Blaise. But where was it you said we could study? We obviously can't study in my common room, as Slytherins aren't allowed, and I couldn't study in your common room—can I?"

"No," Blaise said, shaking his head. Damn, but this was fun. He was relieved Ginny had come up with something that could shock Potter thoroughly. "Gryffindors aren't allowed. But I can see what I can do to change that rule for you, Gin. In any case, it would be too crowded in there. There's an unused classroom on the second floor, right next to the room Professor McGonagall uses for Transfiguration." Potter was still following, the git. Didn't he have anything better to do than stalk his former girlfriend and best friend's sister?

"Oh, good," Ginny said, smiling again. Not that she hadn't really stopped smiling.

"There shouldn't be anyone else in there, and there aren't any classes going on, so we shouldn't be…" he smiled, releasing Ginny's hand and putting his now-free hand on her back, rubbing circles on it. "Interrupted."

Ginny shivered underneath his touch, and he suddenly wished that this wasn't a game, that they really did like each other as more than friends or acquaintances. And that Ginny wasn't in love with Potter, who, he could see, scowled, obviously disgusted by their display, and stopped following them.

Which was actually rather stupid in itself, since if Potter had kept following them, he could make sure Blaise didn't do anything to endanger Ginny.

But Blaise didn't stop rubbing circles on Ginny's back, and when they reached the classroom he had spoken of, he stopped and turned towards her. Their heads were level, and he stared into her eyes—a light brown he supposed would be called 'mocha' by those who were more romantic than he—as he reached up, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. Then he shifted his hand to the back of her neck and leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

It was… well, he supposed it simply was, as there wasn't very much he could do to describe it. He dropped her bag and put his free hand on her waist, pulling her flush against him. She was kissing him back, and when she groaned, opening her mouth, he took it a little farther. She didn't disagree, instead slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with so much force he nearly went over backwards.

Seconds later they broke away, gasping for breath. Blaise grinned at her, brushing a thumb over her lips. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what.

Ginny glanced around behind him, frowning. "Where's Harry?"

Blaise didn't even try to stop the disappointment from flooding his senses, though he did keep it from showing, being a Slytherin to the core. "He stopped following us a few corridors back, when I mentioned the classroom and being 'interrupted.'"

"What was that, then?" she asked, letting her arms drop and stepping back.

Blaise looked at her for a minute, contemplating his answer. "Practice."

Ginny raised a brow, but didn't say anything more about it. Instead, she said, "All right. Are we going to study?"

Blaise raised one shoulder. "Do you need any help?"

"Not really. If I really have problems I'll ask Hermione. I think she has all her notes still from my year. I don't usually have problems, anyway, except in Potions and Transfiguration. We didn't have anything in Potions, surprisingly, and Transfiguration I just have an essay, which is easy. Nothing practical." Ginny smiled.

Blaise smiled back. "Then I'll leave you to your work. Good night, Ginny." He leaned forward, brushing a soft kiss across her lips, before turning and walking away. He wished he could know that she wasn't imagining Potter as he kissed her—but if it wasn't for Potter, this charade never would have started in the first place.

"Good night, Blaise," she said. Was it only his imagination that he heard a slight wistfulness in her voice?

* * *

Author's Note: Opinions! I love opinions. Suggestions are welcome, too... Though I actually have most of this fic planned out, I haven't quite decided who Harry's in love with yet. Do I go with the obvious (Cho), or do I do something...shocking? (grins) 

Disclaimer: If I ever tell you I own these characters, please hit me over the head with a frying pan and ask me to gather my sanity.


	5. Surprise, Surprise

_Chapter 5_

She should've known it would happen. She should have known that she would never get off that easily, that Hermione and Harry weren't just going to let it drop. Not that she'd really wanted them to, but it hadn't clicked that they weren't the only ones this act was going to attract.

She should have known Ron would be furious.

Simply, she was amazed he hadn't confronted her sooner. Maybe Harry and Hermione hadn't said anything because _they_ were afraid of what would happen. They certainly didn't like Blaise, and they detested their relationship, but they were afraid of releasing the fury that was Ronald Weasley, Self-Designated Protector of his Sister's Innocence.

So when she had returned to the common room ten minutes before curfew, she had not expected Ron to be standing in the middle of it, pacing, just waiting to lay in on her when she stepped foot through the portrait.

But now that it was happening, she couldn't say she was surprised. Already, he'd been at it for at least two minutes. Poor Blaise...she would have to warn him about Ron. She hoped he hadn't already gotten to him. That would be an unfortunate incident, considering everything that Ron had said in the past couple of minutes. Blaise would be legless, armless, scalpless, and unable to create children. Oh, and dead.

"He's a Slytherin, Ginny! A Slytherin! A Death Eater! Supporter of You-Know-Who. He's related to Malfoy, for goodness' sake!"

Ginny just sighed, trying not to pay attention to what he was saying—but looking as though she were. It was always the best way to deal with Ron. Act as though she were listening and taking everything seriously, and then brushing him off. But then…

"I know you're hurt about what happened with Harry, Ginny, but don't go on a rebound with a Slytherin. If you're going to rebound, do it with a nice Hufflepuff, not—"

It shouldn't have made her tick. Her brother had, in fact, hit the nail on the head...at least for what she _wanted_ him to believe. She was dating Blaise… But not to forget Harry. To get him back. So it didn't make sense why she yelled, "Shut up, Ron!"

Ron actually did shut up, surprised as he was by his sister's outburst. True to form, she had never interrupted one of his tirades. Until now.

"Not everything in this world is about Harry, Ron! Maybe I like Blaise. How do you know he's a rebound?" she demanded, stepping forward. She wasn't as tall as Ron, but she was closer than any of the other girls in his year—or hers, for that matter. And currently she looked so much like Molly Weasley that Ron swallowed, barely resisting the urge to step back.

"Ginny, Hermione saw you following Zabini the day Harry broke up with you. I saw you that morning and you were crying your eyes out. There's no way you could have gotten over Harry that quickly. You lov—"

"How dare you?" Ginny demanded. "How dare you assume that, or anything? You are not my keeper, _Ronald_. You are my brother, and up until now, you've always been my friend." When she saw him opening his mouth again, she said quietly, "And if you want me to ever forgive you, I would suggest you not say anything more." She walked past him, heading up the stairs to her dormitory, wishing she had somewhere else to go. The girls probably knew everything about Ron's tirade.

She walked through the door, prepared to set her bag by the bed and pull the drapes to wait for them to fall asleep—after all, she couldn't fall asleep with them closed without fear of nightmares—but a voice stopped her.

"Is it true you're dating Blaise Zabini?" one girl asked. What was her name? Evelyn?

She stopped, standing in the middle of the room, her bag in one hand. The one who had asked the question was standing in front of her own bed, and it looked as though the three other girls were sitting on their beds, listening avidly. "Er, yes. Why?" she ventured.

One of the girls sitting on her own bed—Willamette?—groaned. "You are _so_ lucky. He is so cute."

"And mysterious," said another, a blonde, as she poked her head out. Ginny had no idea what her name was. "That's the best part."

Girl Number One (Evelyn) snorted and said, "Duh, the best part is that he's a Slytherin. And you know what they say about Slytherins…" She grinned.

The last girl, who hadn't said anything yet, giggled. She was a small, petite little thing with brown hair that was in a ponytail and eyes that seemed large on her small face. Ginny smashed a feeling of jealousy. "They're better."

"At everything," said Girl Number Three, the blonde.

Ginny smiled. It was ridiculous, but it made her feel glad to finally be…accepted?…by her roommates. "Really?"

"Oh, come on," Evelyn said, "Don't tell me he hasn't even kissed you yet!"

Ginny felt a blush creep up her neck. "Well…"

Girls Three and Four whooped. Evelyn just grinned.

* * *

Later, when her roommates had finally drifted off to sleep, Ginny lay back in her bed, staring at the canopy. It turned out that she was right about Evelyn's and Willamette's names, which was a relief, and she'd figured out from the conversation that the blonde was Helen, and the innocent-looking, petite girl was Mary. 

Their conversation had brought a few interesting things to light, which Ginny felt able to sum up in a few, concise sentences:

1. All of the girls a crush on Harry.

2. All of them had a crush on Blaise. Or, perhaps on other parts of his persona. Did it really matter?

3. Slytherins are sexy, because they are darker, and supposedly better at...well, certain things which are important when one is dating.

And all the girls were in unanimous agreement that Blaise was an excellent choice after dumping (they refused to say that he had dumped her) Harry. They were all for "opposites attract" and had decided that Blaise was Ginny's opposite. Or, at the very least, Harry's—and that was apparently all that mattered.

Although it made her feel very happy, in the place that had always wanted peer approval, it also made her feel very, very bad. Because she wasn't dating Blaise for "real." She wasn't dating him because she liked her, per se, she was dating him because she wanted Harry back. She was dating him because – or rather, she wasn't dating him at all. She was _pretending_ to date him because she wanted Harry to realize that she was desirable, that she had plenty of other guys waiting to date her. She wanted him to realize that out of everyone else she could have dated, she had chosen him.

She just had to remember that.

It was when Blaise did certain _things_ that she started to forget. When he had kissed her in the hall, she had started to forget that they were doing everything as a pretense. That they weren't really kissing because they liked each other, but because he was upholding his end of the bargain. It was right before they stopped that she had to remind herself that they were only doing this because Harry was watching, because they had to make him realize that he wasn't _that_ special, that she could have any guy she wanted.

She knew she had to remember, as well, because Blaise didn't like her that way. And if she fell in love with Blaise, it would be worse than falling in love with Harry. With Harry, she'd had a chance. With Blaise…she didn't have anything.

The most unfortunate thing, however, was the physical attraction she felt towards Harry. With Harry, at the beginning, she had had a large amount of physical attraction. He had that boyish hair, the innocent look, and he was her brother's best friend. She knew from the books she'd read that falling in love with him wasn't that surprising, as most girls got crushes on their brother's best friend. (Not to mention he had saved the world!) When he had seemed to reciprocate her interest, it was a dream come true.

Towards Blaise, she had suddenly realized that day, she felt a physical attraction about the size of a tsunami.

With Harry, she had felt like a little girl with her first love.

Blaise made her feel like a woman with needs. He made her think about her virginity in a way she hadn't before. He made her think about…well, he made her stop thinking! When he kissed her she felt like she had suddenly lost the power of coherent thought. Just thinking about him made her feel like silly putty.

So now she was starting to wonder if she had really been in love with Harry in the first place. If she'd been able to get over him so quickly, what had she truly been feeling when she'd been with him?

Frustrated by her thoughts, Ginny tossed her legs over the side of her bed and stood up. She pulled her robe out from where she'd tossed it under her bed and started the walk down to the common room. Maybe a change of scenery would help her get her thoughts under control; she knew she wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon.

As she was walking down the stairs, she realized the common room wasn't empty. There was someone sitting at one of the tables…in fact, it was someone she had very much hoped she wouldn't have to see for a very long time. She held her breath as she walked over to her brother, where he was slumped over what looked a lot like a Potions textbook. Releasing her breath slowly as he didn't awake at her approach, she nudged him slightly with one finger. When he didn't wake up, she half-smiled, pulled out a chair and sat down across from him.

She loved her brother. She really, truly did. But sometimes he did some very stupid things and jumped to some very stupid conclusions. She knew it wasn't the first time he'd responded the way he had. Hermione and Viktor Krum was an apt example. Another excellent example was in the trio's third year, when Ron had thought that Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, had eaten Scabbers the rat.

And she couldn't blame him too much for his response. She had known, when she decided to "date" Blaise, that his reaction would be bad. It was the whole reason she had felt comfortable using Blaise, because she knew that because Blaise was a Slytherin, Harry and Ron would hate him on principle.

It was all Blaise's fault. The attraction she felt toward him had already started to morph into something more, and she knew it. She was already starting to care about him, and when Ron had reacted the way he had… It was when she had realized, at least on a subconscious level, that she cared about Blaise. That this wasn't about getting Harry back anymore. That right now, she didn't care if she never saw Harry again.

All she cared about now was whether Blaise would kiss her again…and mean it.

The thought almost brought tears to her eyes. However, she felt stronger than she had when Harry had broken up with her. When he had broken up with her, she hadn't felt strong. She hadn't felt able to deal with her own thoughts and feelings. Now she was gaining confidence from Blaise, and from her roommates. And that newfound confidence made her realize that maybe things weren't exactly the way she wanted them to be, but she could sure as hell make them the way she wanted them to be.

She was a determined young woman, and she knew it. She had wanted to get Harry back, so she had taken the steps necessary to do that. Now she wanted Blaise, and she was bloody well going to make that happen.

With brimming confidence and a bounce in her step, Ginny stood up and walked back up the stairs, not once looking back at her brother. He could think what he thought, and it didn't matter to her one bit. When she next walked down these stairs, she was going to do so with a purpose, and with confidence in herself. A confidence that she knew she would get what she wanted, because that was what Weasleys did, and that was what she was going to do.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I love my little Ginny! She's growing up so fast, though. Ah well. I am glad she's coming to her senses about Blaise. Expect a little change of pace with the next chapter. It will be focusing more on Blaise. And if you're wondering why I actually know what it'll be about, it's because I sat down and made an outline! Hallelujah! So I know what's going to happen for the next four chapters! Yay! I think it might be wrapping up in the tenth or eleventh chapter though. Haven't planned _quite_ that far ahead, but unless some other plot detail comes up, it will be ending by the tenth chapter, methinks. Hope you had fun reading this. I certainly had fun writing it! 


	6. Pleasant Interlude

_Chapter 6_

Blaise stood a few corridors from the Great Hall, leaning against the wall. He hoped he was in the path to the Gryffindor Common Room. He wanted to catch Ginny before she went in to breakfast. There was another mini-plan he hoped to put into action, helping to cement in people's minds that Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini were an item.

Luckily, he didn't have long to wait. At the end of the corridor he saw a flash of red and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Ginny's lithe, tall form walking down the hall. The only unfortunate thing was that she appeared to be with friends; three brunettes and a blonde, and they were all smiling and giggling loudly. That was a surprise – he hadn't seen Ginny with other girls in her year before, and had assumed they weren't close. Then the blond spotted him and nudged Ginny, who stopped laughing and looked up.

She winked at him. Ginny Weasley winked at him. He grinned back and held out a hand when she approached, still leaning against the wall. She took it and turned to her friends, saying, "You girls go on into the Hall, I think Blaise wants to talk to me."

The four of them smiled widely and nearly ran from the scene. One of the brunettes, a petite little thing, winked at Ginny before leaving with the rest.

Blaise turned back to Ginny. He was surprised to find her still grinning at him. "Well, aren't you in a chipper mood this morning," he said, noticing that she still hadn't let go of his hand.

She just smiled at him. "So, is there anything we need to talk about?"

"Not really. I just thought it was a good time to move your plan along," he said. "I was thinking we could walk into the Great Hall together. It's nothing big, but it's enough to get the gossip mills running. I think this will definitely convince everyone that we're a couple."

She nodded. "Sounds wonderful. Let's go." She pulled his hand, dislodging him from his spot against the wall with little difficulty. "So," she continued, "What's the plan after this?"

"That depends on how far you want to take this scheme of yours, Ginny." He didn't know anymore why he'd agreed to help her. How far did she really want to take it? Would what they'd done be enough to catapult Potter back into her arms?

"What do you mean?" she asked. Her face had a guarded look to it.

He glanced around them, surprised to see where they were. "We're almost to the Great Hall," he said, "and why make one scene when you can make two?" He winked at her, catching site of a small group of third or fourth year Hufflepuffs. "Meet me in the library during lunch? I promise you won't starve."

She smiled at him. "Of course. But, Blaise—"

He cut her off, leaning down and pecking her briefly on the lips before pulling her along behind him.

Their entrance into the Great Hall caused a bit of a stir.

Actually, Blaise amended silently, it caused a bit more than that. It caused something along the lines of complete, absolute silence, followed by shocked whispering from the Gryffindors and Slytherins, and interest from the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Clearly, their "romance" had caught the interest of the entire school. To force those who were ignoring them to accept it, Blaise walked Ginny to the Gryffindor table, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the hand that was still clasped in his.

Blaise was impressed as she blushed prettily – he didn't know she'd be able to do that. Not many girls could blush on command, much less red-haired Gryffindors.

He was grateful for the shock he had put the rest of the school into, and walked over to the Slytherin table, grabbing a croissant and an apple and leaving the room again.

As soon as Blaise left the Great Hall, what had been latent mumblings burst forth in an avalanche.

Ginny would have liked to say that she was composed and cool as she sat at the table next to her roommates buttering her croissant, and blandly ignoring the many stares she was getting. However, that was not the case. On the contrary, she kept sticking her knife halfway through her croissant, and narrowly avoided stabbing her hand with it. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Blaise was handling the whole thing and wondering if she even had a chance when it came to a real relationship with him.

Willie, Evelyn, Helen, and Mary surprisingly held their questions until after Ginny had poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice. As soon as she had done that, though, the questions—and comments!—poured forth.

"What did he want to talk to you about?"

"I can't believe he kissed your hand!"

"Oh, those eyes of his were positively smoldering!"

"Did he kiss you?"

"That was _so_ romantic. Why can't Colin ever do that?"

Mary giggled from her spot at Ginny's elbow. She really was a petite little thing, Ginny thought. "Girls, let off on her. Can't you see she's busy dreaming?"

Which was true, to an extent. The kiss he'd bestowed upon her hand before he'd left the Great Hall, in addition to the peck he'd given her when they were alone had been enough to get those hormones of hers in a frenzy. All she could think about was kissing him more, and maybe going even farther than kissing, into touching, and possibly to the point of no return…

But she really shouldn't be turning to those thoughts in the Great Hall, and she knew it. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat, smiling at Willie, who was sitting across from her. "Were there any questions you wanted answered, girls?"

There was laughter immediately, as Evelyn explained—interspersed with laughter—that they'd already asked questions. Ginny smiled guiltily, but the girls didn't seem to care about her lack of attention earlier, repeating the questions they really wanted answered.

"Did he kiss you?" Willie asked. It seemed they had already decided which order they would ask, as no one seemed perturbed at her asking first.

Ginny knew that her face was red before she saw the knowing smiles on the other girls' faces. "Yes."

Evelyn was next. "What did he want to talk to you about?"

Although Ginny momentarily panicked, she very quickly remembered the lunch date Blaise had secured with her. "He wants me to meet him in the library during lunch."

The girls ooh-ed and ahh-ed, with identical grins on their faces.

"That's so sweet," Willie said, sighing. "I wish Colin would do something like that."

"Like what?" Helen asked, speaking up.

"Ask me to do something other than Hogsmeade, or snogging in the Astronomy Tower and getting caught by Snape." She shuddered. "It's all so…unoriginal."

Mary rolled her eyes. "At least you have a boyfriend to be complaining about."

Evelyn rolled her eyes right back at Mary. "Please, Mary, how long have you been without one, two days?"

"A week, actually," she said primly, buttering a small piece of a croissant and offering the rest of it to Helen.

Helen took it, saying, "And no wonder she's nearly never without one, with what little she eats."

Ginny shook her head, tuning out of their conversation. The four of them were certainly interesting, and although she enjoyed all the talk at some times, right now she wasn't in the mood. Of course, that was mainly because she wanted to be doing some fantasizing that included a very delectable Slytherin. She smiled in her pumpkin juice as she took a sip, thinking that it wouldn't be very long before something happened with Harry. The only question was what she wanted to happen, and whether she would be happy or disappointed with the results.

She was surprised how quickly that turned out to be. Less than a minute after she had tuned out of her roommates' conversation, Willie kicked her under the table, motioning behind Ginny with her head. She turned around in her seat to find Harry standing behind her with an interesting look on his face that she wasn't sure how to identify.

"Ginny, can you come with me, please?" he asked, shifting on his feet.

She narrowed her eyes at him, thinking of the last conversation they'd had and wondering whether she should give him a hard time because of that or an easy time for the sake of her brother. Then she noticed that he had said the word "please," and decided that, if nothing else, he was at least well-mannered. And good manners should be rewarded as much as possible. "Sure," she said, standing up and grabbing her bag, just in case they took a while and she had to run straight to class.

"So," he said as they started walking out of the Great Hall. She hoped he was carefully considering his words, especially since the last time they'd spoken things had gone so badly. "I want to ask your forgiveness, Ginny."

Ginny was so surprised that she stopped walking. Luckily, they had just exited the Great Hall. "For what?" she managed to choke out.

Harry halted a few feet in front of her and turned around, realizing belatedly she wasn't following him anymore. "For judging you and Zabini so harshly." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want us to be enemies, Ginny. I know that Zabini isn't as bad as Malfoy, I just overreacted. He's a Slytherin, and therefore I don't trust him. However, I do trust you, and although I was surprised you started dating him so quickly, I…I trust you. That's all." He sighed again, raising his hands up a little bit at his sides before letting them fall again. "And I'm sorry."

Ginny's eyes were filled with tears. Stepping forward haltingly, she threw her arms around Harry and buried her head in his shoulder. "So, we're really over then?"

She swore she could feel him smile against her shoulder as he answered, "Yes, Ginny, we're really over."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. We'll have some fun stuff happening in the next one, I'm sure. I know, I know -- I said I had it all planned out and that Blaise would be featuring more in this one...well, I got a little side-tracked. Blaise just does not want to tell me about himself! I'll try to get him to open up for the next chapter for ya'll. :) 


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